I have been meaning to chat with my nephew Mike (who recently began sport biking and logged his first collision with a car) about motorcycle riding safety. I wanted to try to give him the benefit of my 25 years of riding experience, but figured I could jot down a short list of safety tips in the meantime. That short list quickly grew into this list of tips, which I hope can be of use to any new sportbike rider.
These tips are based on my personal experience with, either close calls, or various levels of actual contact. Every one of the instances I experienced led to a post-incident assessment of what happened and how I might avoid it in the future. The classic, “What did I learn from that?” inner dialogue.
As a lone motorcycle rider in a sea of automobiles, like most riders, isolated from the world by a helmet, no radio, no cellphone and no chit chat to distract my mind, I spend my thoughts reading and analyzing my continually changing surroundings – assessing the situation against a catalogue of past experiences in similar situations. Most of the time, I don’t even realize that I am doing anything specific, or why I may be doing it, unless I force myself to think about it.
While geared towards the sportbike rider (the great majority of my experience), I think most of the comments can apply to any type of motorcycle. And hopefully, they don't sound "preachy"...
-Rick
Continually assess threats
Continually watch for potential threats,
Other vehicles: pulling into the road, lane changes as traffic congests, brake lights, sudden braking, cell phones, head-up-ass syndrome, drifting out of lane, cars in on-coming left turn lanes, and radar traps.
Road conditions: sand, water, oil, grime, road kill, bumps, potholes, pavement transitions and grooves, plastic bags, items falling off other vehicles or trailers – windy days mean more crap blowing across the road. Basically, everything that is a concern for a regular driver is a major concern for a bike rider.
Other vehicles: pulling into the road, lane changes as traffic congests, brake lights, sudden braking, cell phones, head-up-ass syndrome, drifting out of lane, cars in on-coming left turn lanes, and radar traps.
Road conditions: sand, water, oil, grime, road kill, bumps, potholes, pavement transitions and grooves, plastic bags, items falling off other vehicles or trailers – windy days mean more crap blowing across the road. Basically, everything that is a concern for a regular driver is a major concern for a bike rider.
Ride in the tire path of a lane
(where a car’s tires would be) oil and debris is in the middle and gutters –especially near intersections where cars sit at lights.
(where a car’s tires would be) oil and debris is in the middle and gutters –especially near intersections where cars sit at lights.
Use a blocker
Follow closely behind a vehicle (but not too close - 10 to 20 yards or so depending on the speed) to the left where they can see you in their mirror, so that other cars are less likely to pull in front of you or change lanes into you. Or if they do, they hit your blocker instead of you. You will likely need to switch from blocker to blocker as they don’t really like you being there.
Have an escape route
With a blocker, be able to go around them if they brake suddenly. Otherwise, always know where you can go if something comes up suddenly. Shoulders, white lines, etc.
Don’t stop directly behind a car at a light
At stop lights or stop signs, be just to the left of the back of a car, so if someone comes flying up from behind you have an escape route around the car in front and you don’t get squeezed between them.
At stop lights or stop signs, be just to the left of the back of a car, so if someone comes flying up from behind you have an escape route around the car in front and you don’t get squeezed between them.
When stopped at lights, keep it in 1st gear
Some experts advise putting the bike in neutral when stopped at lights to reduce wear on the clutch mechanism. I find that the ability to move out of a situation quickly overrides that concern.
Always be able to stop in the amount of road you can see
Adjust your speed for curves or hills where you lose sight of what is in front of you beyond the bend or beyond the horizon- be able to stop in time if something suddenly comes into view.
Watch your ass when braking
Cars and trucks can’t stop as quickly as you can. Stay slightly to one side of a car braking in front of you, and make sure that the cars behind are not going to slide into you and be prepared to dart to one side of the car in front to escape. If you are in the middle of a pack of cars braking suddenly, look for an escape route and watch your ass.
Be prepared to stand
If you suddenly see a bump or pothole at speed, grip the bars firmly and rise up on the seat so your bent legs can absorb the shock and you don’t get bounced off.
Identify road debris quickly
Some items you should avoid at all costs (pick axe!), but some may be safer to ride over than attempting to swerve (carpet for example)
Do not start from a green light without ensuring it is clear
Bikes can move from a stop very quickly, and if you go too quickly, you may catch the last car crossing, running a red light –or they might catch you.
No need for the back brake
Almost all your weight is forward when you brake, so your rear tire will slide if you brake there. Just downshift and go heavy on the front brakes – much more controllable than a sliding rear wheel.
Keep two fingers on the brake handle
Learn to control the throttle and ride with your first two fingers resting over the front brake handle (straight and at the ready, not squeezing). That way, you are always prepared to brake in an instant, without even thinking about it. This way also helps force the throttle down as you brake. Same with the clutch handle, but less so – sometimes I will rest one finger on the clutch handle, sometimes three if in use, sometimes none. Just as staying in gear while stopped allows you to move quickly, fingers on the brake allows you to stop quickly when needed.
When extreme-braking, try to pulse the pressure
In extreme situations, it is difficult to overcome the impulse to grab the brakes and squeeze with all your strength, but try to pulse your hard-braking pressure to avoid completely locking up the front wheel – that usually means a fall.
Keep your handlebar touch light
Hold the grips lightly and firmly. Let the bike move somewhat as it will. Nudge it into turns and flow with the bike – don’t force it, don’t fight it. You can grip the tank with your legs firmly at times, but unless braking- let the handle bars move lightly, smoothly, somewhat freely. Much of riding is gyroscopically controlled – threat avoidance may require fighting those forces occasionally, but generally, you want to ride with them, not against.
Ride with your toes on top of the pegs
Since you are not using the back brake, there is no reason to have your foot there. Put the toes of your right foot on the top of that peg and you’ll have more mobility to guide the bike quickly into different angles of lean. The left foot must be down when shifting of course, but otherwise, those toes can shift to the top of the peg as well for mobility. This, coupled with knees gripping the tank and light hands on the bars, gives you all the control you could ask for.
Swim through traffic
If not utilizing a blocker, it is usually best to methodically swim through traffic to increase your visibility. You don’t have to zip through lane changes dangerously, but moving forward as the road allows, will make you stand out from the cars, and put you in the other driver’s minds. If you sit next to a car for too long, they will forget about you and you will become invisible, leading to a lane change, potentially right into you.
Look back before changing lanes
Use your mirrors as you can, but for most lane changes, you need to know for sure what is coming, and the mirrors can’t give you a complete picture. Make sure you have the distance and time in front of you before doing so, then turn your body slightly and make a quick head turn to look directly backwards from the lane you want to move to, somewhat in conjunction with the actual lane change, but be prepared to cancel that change if something is coming quickly. Be prepared, especially when merging onto a highway, to see a big truck barreling down as you look back – a bit startling, but also a damn good reason to look back.
Ride a gear down in traffic
Ensure you have quick torque and throttle response at your fingertips by riding a gear down in traffic. If you typically ride in 4th gear at 60mph when cruising, ride in 3rd gear in traffic to keep the motor higher in the RPM range where more power is available.
Expect sudden movements from cars
Anticipate, and expect, that cars may do things without reason or warning at any time. They may pull out from a side street, whip a U-turn, dive for an exit ramp, or just change lanes with little or no warning, but you can also anticipate likely movements if you stay alert. Watch for and anticipate potential movements and remove yourself from that area before it can happen or be prepared to avoid it if it does.
Make yourself visible
To reiterate - Don’t let your position become stagnant in traffic. If you sit in the same relative position to a group of cars, you will become invisible to them. As with the swimming tip above, move yourself around a bit to stand out, or become more noticeable. Put yourself in their mirrors, make noise with the throttle, flash lights day or night. Stand out.
Rain
Don’t ride in the rain…
Take a track-days riding class
The best actual riding wisdom I gained, was at a track-days session with Keith Code and others instructing on and off the track. There are several race tracks in the area with similar instruction sessions where they split time between the track and the classroom. With very few curved roads in Texas, this is the best place to learn the bike and what it can do, as well as how to make it do what it can do safely -and without cars, curbs or dirty roads. With this knowledge, you can have the confidence and the ability to safely navigate out of most situations using that amazing two-wheeled tool you chose to ride.
Thanks, and be alert out there
Rick
My current ride:
